NHTSA Complaint #11700971 — 2026 RAM 1500

On 11/20/25 I rented a 2026 Dodge Ram truck from Thrifty at the Wilmington, NC airport. My 17 year old daughter was with me. As I was sitting at a red light, I tapped the “comfort” button on the center screen to try to adjust the air conditioner. When I did, the audio system, which had been off, suddenly blasted a radio station to the maximum volume of the speakers. No warning. It was horribly painful and jolting. I tried turning down the volume using the volume dial. It didn’t work. Nothing would turn it down. The volume setting showed it was already at zero on the screen. It continued to blast us until I saw I could push the volume button to power off the screen. That stopped it but my daughter and I were both very shaken and upset. It was the loudest sound we’ve ever heard and it went on for at least 5-6 seconds. She was able to cover her ears, I was not because I was desperately trying to find a way to turn it off. I am thankful it happened at a red light or I’m afraid it would have caused an accident. I reported it to the rental agency immediately upon getting to our hotel. I was scared it would happen again and cause an accident, so I tried to do what they suggested, which was to try the volume controls behind the steering wheel. It did not work. We were exposed to this horrible volume at least 3 more times for closer to 10 seconds each before we were able to figure out how to turn off surround sound, which stopped the noise but enabled us to still use the screen. I returned the rental truck on 11/22/25 and reported it again to another agent. He confirmed the note was still in the system from when I first reported it and assured me they would look into it. My ears still hurt and my hearing is still muffled. I keep having to ask my daughter to repeat herself. Loud sounds, like announcements in the airport or on the plane are painful. I plan to get my ears checked when I get back home.